Paula Abdul Does ‘Emmy’ Magazine

Paula Abdul Does ‘Emmy’ Magazine
Paula Abdul, who will be judging The X Factor this Fall, is featured on the cover of the new issue of Emmy magazine. Paula talks about her new gig on X Factor, her old gig on American Idol and the choreography/singing career that made her famous in the first place in the 80s-90s. Click below [...]

Paula Abdul, who will be judging The X Factor this Fall, is featured on the cover of the new issue of Emmy magazine. Paula talks about her new gig on X Factor, her old gig on American Idol and the choreography/singing career that made her famous in the first place in the 80s-90s. Click below to see Paula‘s Emmy mag coverphoto and read some excerpts from her accompanying interview.

“This show is kind of a [combination] of all the different careers I’ve had. And I love nurturing raw, untapped talent – having a front-row seat to something at its humble beginnings that could lead to greatness.” – Paula Abdul on joining “The X Factor” which includes a mentoring component and where judge responsibilities include helping select everything from songs to styling to choreography.

Paula Abdul, who estimates that she quit at least seven times during the inaugural season of ‘Idol,’ reflects on how her relationship with Simon Cowell has evolved.– “It only took him eight seasons to figure out that he would miss me! He’s the quintessential older brother that needles you all the time. I get his warped sense of humor now. I can look at him and know exactly what he’s thinking. I don’t know what it says about me, but I actually kind of understand him.”

“I felt like my time on the show ran its course. I was very grateful for the good times, and I was a good student through the tough times. But I felt like the dynamics of the show changed when they brought Kara in.” – Paula Abdul discusses why she has no regrets about leaving “American Idol” when contract negotiations broke down in 2009.

Paula Abdul, who joined the Laker Girls as a dancer and choreographer during her freshman–year in college, recalls being asked by Lakers fans Marlon and Jackie Jackson to choreograph for the Jacksons’ ‘Torture’ video. This led to her becoming the go-to choreographer for the Jackson family. – “You know how in ‘Broadcast News’ Holly Hunter has her flip-out attacks of self-doubt and insecurity? Well, [after the Jacksons’ job offer] I lived that. I got into my little Jeep, rolled up the windows and screamed, ‘Oh my God, what am I going to do? What am I going to teach them? I don’t know what I’d doing! They’re going to find out I’m a fraud!’ I sucked it up and went in there with the attitude that I knew exactly what I was doing.”

“I miss Michael so much. I still can’t believe he’s gone, and I still find myself speaking of him as if he’s alive.” –Paula Abdul remembers Michael Jackson whom she met when she worked with the brothers on their mega-successful 1984 “Victory” tour.
“We’d always said we’d work together again. At one point, when [Paula’s] deal came down to the eleventh hour, I remember saying to the team, ‘If she’s not there, you may as well cancel filming.’ I really felt that strongly that I wanted her with me.” – Simon Cowell on insisting that Abdul be by his side at the judges’ table no matter what.

Simon Cowell provides insight on how he would characterize the talent that’s shown up for auditions. – “We have had some really exciting female singers, too. A few years ago on ‘Idol,’ if Lady Gaga had walked in with a lobster on her head, she wouldn’t have gone through. Now things have changed. The world is different. I want talent to know who they are and be telling me the kind of music they want to be making, especially the teenagers. They need to know the music that kids their age want to buy.”

“I’ve been actually starting to think at times we are turning into one another. She’ll say things I’d normally say, and vice versa. I had actually forgotten how snappy she can be. And I’d forgotten how much I missed her. Think of it like having a pet for years and years – you move away, get on with your life and forget the pet a bit. Then suddenly you’re reunited and you remember how much you loved it! She’s not going to like me for putting it like that. But as an animal lover, it’s about the highest compliment I can give!”– Simon Cowell shares the genuine affection he and Abdul have for each other.

“She was the most darling little thing I’d ever seen. I thought she was a massive star the moment I met her. I didn’t think about whether a choreographer could cross over to music. I just knew she had a very special charm, and I wanted to know and work with her. That girl had faith in me. She took a chance back then. We hadn’t had any hit records yet. We were nobodies. I felt very grateful to her, and I still do.” –Antonio “L.A.” Reid, who collaborated with Abdul in the 1980s, recalls his first impression of Abdul.

Back in the day, I used to WORSHIP Paula Abdul. She was my Britney Spears back in the early 90s. I collected every single magazine that put her on the cover and I can assure you, many of them looked exactly like this cover. LOL. I may not be the crazy Paula fan that I used to be but she will always hold a special place in my heart. Now … I gotta go find a hardcopy of Emmy magazine.

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Eliza Dushku
Adriana Lima